COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Wednesday, February 26, 2014) – Colorado Rapids winger Marvin Chávez and forward Deshorn Brown have been called up by their national teams for upcoming friendly matches. Chávez and Honduras will take on Venezuela on March 5 as they prepare for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Brown and Jamaica will have an earlier start, facing Barbados at Barbados National Stadium on Sunday, March 2, and then taking on St. Lucia three days later.

“This is great news for Marvin and Deshorn, and we’re proud of them for the honor of being selected by their countries,” said Rapids Technical Director Paul Bravo. “Deshorn’s strong form last year has continued into 2014, and he’s continuing to play a big part for Jamaica. Marvin has been an important piece for Honduras for a long time, and as the country gets ready for the World Cup, it’s great to see him in their squad.”

One of Colorado’s offseason acquisitions, Chávez has made 37 appearances for Honduras, including qualifying matches for the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups as well as the 2009 and 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cups, scoring four goals in total. His most recent appearance with Honduras was on November 19, when he started in the 2-2 draw with Ecuador.

Brown, 23, was last year’s runner-up in MLS Rookie of the Year voting after scoring 10 goals in his first professional season. He earned his first call-up to the Jamaican National Team last October when he was picked for the team’s final two World Cup qualifiers. Brown has earned five total caps for his country, most recently for a home-and-home series with Trinidad and Tobago in November.

The Colorado Rapids face Chivas USA at 1 p.m. MT in their second to last preseason match as part of the Desert Diamond Cup presented by FC Tucson, with a live stream available here. The Rapids will play one more match, with the opponent and time to be determined, on Saturday before returning to Colorado to prepare for the season opener at New York Red Bulls on March 15.